Of Interesting Circumstance
by erre13
Summary: Voldemort had only intended for a light conversation with a Muggle, but she proved to be much more interesting that he had originally thought.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my laptop and a few ideas that tend to swirl in my head. Everything else belongs to the wonderful woman known as JKR.

Author's Note: Hopefully Voldemort isn't too out of character for you.

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Chapter One.

She knew she should have eaten that bag of candy before she left. If she had know things would have ended up this way she would have even brought it along with her. The day had started out like any other day: running from store to store, pockets filled with various food items that she was not privy to on a normal day. She had been lucky enough to grab a bad of sweets before one of the employees caught her. In the middle of the musings she looked around her, once again taking in the particulars of the cell. The bars reached the ceiling and looked sturdy enough even though over half of them seemed to be rusted over. The ground was slightly damp, with what she wasn't sure though water would be preferable. The chains that bound her were heavy and bit into her wrists, but that was part of their job so she wasn't entirely surprised. Although there were many other cells around her she was curious as to why it was relatively quiet with only the occasional whimper reaching her ears. There was no sunlight in this place and she found that she missed it.

April had watched a program on the television once about kidnappers and their victims. Nothing like this was on the show, but it did say that victims had to keep her mind alert and that if someone tried to suffocate her by putting a hand over her nose and mouth she should turn her head so they would lose their grip. She wasn't sure if that would work but it was worth a try. April rattled the chains slightly; there really wasn't much else for her to do in this cell besides go to the bathroom in the corner and pick at the questionable food they had given her earlier. It looked a bit like moldy bread but it was far too hard to be so. She wondered about the possibility of escaping. Looking at the chains again she pulled against them and did not feel any weakness in the make. Sighing she lay on her back, facing the cracked ceiling and the few cobwebs.

It was probably day three or so since she had been here, but she had no real way of telling besides that they had given her food three times. She had to admit the people that help her captive looked a bit odd. They all had dark cloaks but besides that they all looked a bit different. One had fairly long platinum blonde hair and seemed to always sneer at her, one of those aristocratic-I-think-I'm-better-that-you types. He had on pretty fancy shoes too. Another one had dark greasy looking hair and black eyes that seem to look through her instead of at her. He had a funny looking nose but he didn't seem like a completely terrible person, he just seemed to give off that mysterious, intimidating air. He had looked at her with a sense of what she would call pity. The last person she had seemed a bit pathetic in her opinion. He had on ragged clothes and his hair was balding. Truthfully, he looked more like a rodent than a person but she had decided to keep that to herself. He had a frightened look about him that made her wonder what exactly he was afraid of.

Slowly, the occupants of the cells near her had been taken away, pleading and screaming for release but she never knew what happened to them. Sometimes she would hear sounds from above her that could only result from a large number of people, but she could not hear much besides that. A few times she had woken up to the most disturbing shrieking she had ever heard and it made her somewhat afraid to sleep. As the hours passed her mind was filled with thoughts of torture and various way a person could die, but thinking back to the three men who had visited her she wondered if her purpose was for something more perverted. She looked down at her eighteen year old body and wondered if they thought her that attractive. Her hair was dark and straight, her skin pale, but her chest was average in her opinion. Movement from down the hall caught her attention and she watched as a crazed looking woman looking from cell to cell. April thought that she was probably very beautiful at one time but at the moment, she just seemed a bit loony. Her eyes landed on her and a sadistic smile graced her lips and April wondered if Alice felt this way when the Cheshire Cat looked at her.

"Such a lucky girl to have the Dark Lord grace her with his presence." Her cell was opened and she was harshly brought to her feet and pushed towards a set of stairs which she vaguely remembered coming down. She could feel something poking her in the back, a stick maybe? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to have a gun? As she walked down the hallways that seemed to make up the place she had been taken to she found that a lot of things seemed to defy what she knew. Portraits on the walls moved and talked as if they were real people and she would give each of them curious glance which some would return with a nasty comment or a rude gesture. People seemed to always wear cloaks here, always black but everyone seemed to carry around sticks which she found very curious. A few she had passed had white skull looking masks which she wondered about for a long time. Surely, Halloween was still a few weeks away according to the last time she had checked.

They stopped in front of a large, mahogany door which had a few strange symbols carved into the wood but she didn't have much time to look at them because the woman had pushed her through, closing it behind her with a loud click. April wasn't really sure what she was supposed to do at this point so she opted for observing her surroundings. The room was furnished well, a large ornate four poster bed with white sheets and dark burgundy comforter was around forty-five degrees to her right. Off to her left was a sitting area with two comfortable looking armchairs set facing each other while a fire roared to their left, illuminating the rug beneath them. Behind the bed was a large bay window and she could see the full moon along with what looked to be a large property of land. Along the far wall were shelves upon shelves of books, most with strange titles and names that were unfamiliar to her. Furrowing her brow she turned to find a figure a few centimeters from her face. Taking a few steps back she took in his face and her eyes widened at the serpentine features.

"Excuse me Sir, I didn't see you there." She apologized but she couldn't help but be captivated by the color of his eyes. She had never seen contacts so bright red. The figure said nothing but its eyes studied her with a curiosity that made her feel slightly uneasy.

"I'm not quite sure why I'm here. I haven't any money and I'm an orphan so you won't be able to get any ransom, though I'm not really sure if that is exactly what you want." The figure had been slowly walking around her and she stilled when she heard it take a long sniff of her hair. Why she had no clue, she hadn't washed it in days. It couldn't smell all that wonderful.

"Interesting." The voice was deeper than she had expected but his presence had gone from behind her only to move towards one of the chairs. "Would you like to have a seat?" It was awfully polite she thought.

"I wouldn't want to ruin your nice chair, I seem to be quite dirty at the moment." A second later he had waved a hand over her and she had an odd tingling sensation on her skin and she looked down to see that she was clean. Confused she looked at him.

"In your present state I'm sure my chair will be quite alright." He motioned to her again and she took the seat with a thank you. He looked at her for the longest time, a finger moving along his bottom lip as if he were in thought. April wasn't sure what was supposed to happen next.

"You are quite an interesting person Miss Thornwood. I must admit I have not encountered a mind such as yours in quite a while." His eyes seemed somewhat amused.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I'm not quite sure what you mean or how you know my name." April was wondering if this man-creature had some sort of special powers if such things existed.

"Do you believe in magic Miss Thornwood?" His question caught her slightly off guard.

"Magic? As in wands and spells and potions and such?"

"Precisely that." April thought for a moment, such things had never existed where she was but she didn't know what happened throughout the world.

"I suppose such a thing is possible. I mean, Merlin was thought to have existed didn't he?" Yes, Merlin seemed like a good example. Surely, such a thing could not be made up.

"He did exist. He was quite a powerful wizard in his time." He pulled out what looked to April to be a white stick. "This Miss Thornwood is a wand. Thirteen inches, yew, phoenix feather core. We wizards use such things to perform magic." She eyed the stick.

"Can you do anything with that?" His eyes glinted dangerously.

"Almost." April knew that this was a bad situation to be in.

"So, you could potentially kill me with that wand?" He chuckled darkly.

"Not potentially Miss Thornwood, I plan on doing so eventually." April let out a breath before smiling, an act that apparently confused the creature before her.

"You are quite the child." April just continued smiling at the situation she was in. "I cant seem to find why you are so amused. I believe I just told you that I would kill you and yet you smile as if I hadn't."

"Sorry, Sir, it's just that I would rather die by that wand in this wonderful looking room than on the streets back home, or that cell I was in now that I'm thinking about it. At least here I have something interesting to look at, no offense, Sir." Lord Voldemort looked more keenly at the girl. Her mind was quite an intriguing thing, she was clever for her age and looked at things either logically or in a completely different view from most people. If only she had not been a Muggle, then maybe magic would have filled that curiosity she had for life.

"You are not scared by my appearance?" She thought for a moment, taking him in again.

"Not really, Sir. You surprised me, yes, but I can't say that I am afraid. Maybe I don't know that I should be? I'm sure you appearance would make more of an impact if I had magic like you did." Lord Voldemort nodded at her answer. When she put it that way it did make sense. His form would be considered hideous to common people he would agree, therefore they would be afraid because he were different, but he also had to acknowledge that they knew not of the significance of this form. Instead of seeing the power and magic involved to change himself like this they would see only ugliness.

"You mentioned that you would rather die here than on the streets back home, would you care to elaborate?" April figured that since she was going to die soon she might as well talk to her soon to be murderer a bit.

"Well it was just mom and me for a while. I have no idea who my dad is, but I think it's okay that I don't know. When I was about seven, mom brought me to a park and never really came back. I have no idea what happened to her or where she went, I've always just concluded that she abandoned me. I've been living on the streets of London since then. I've never went to a home but I figured that I wouldn't like it if I ever did."

"A young woman like yourself shouldn't be living on the streets. It's a dangerous place." Lord Voldemort's smile was feral.

"I suppose so since I ended up here. But, that's okay. My life til now hasn't been so bad." Lord Voldemort really could not figure out this girl.

"Death does not frighten you child?"

"Should it?"

"It frightens most people?"

"Does it frighten you?" The response took the Dark Lord by surprise.

"Perhaps it does." April looked at him curiously.

"Even though you have magic?"

"Well, currently I am working on a plan for immortality with the help of magic. But given the circumstances I have had to push back my research."

"Why?

"I am known as Lord Voldemort in the magical world and my plan was to rid the Earth of all Muggles and Muggle borns so that only those with magic would have the right to live, superior beings if you will. Muggles are those who do not have an ounce of magic in their blood, you for example. Muggle borns are witches and wizards born to Muggle parents but have somehow acquired magical abilities. More and more of them are being introduced to magical society, but not many see the danger."

"You don't want magic to become discovered. I understand." Voldemort had to slightly praise the girl for her intelligence. "People would want it no matter what. It would result in war throughout the world. But even if you get rid of all the Muggles won't there be wizards who don't think you are doing the right thing?"

"There are always those who take different views. Currently the side of Light had been fighting my forces and have put their hopes on a boy who is slightly younger than you are whose name is Harry Potter. Our battle had been prophesized since before his birth." April nodded.

"So, even wizards fight? I suppose that makes sense since you aren't really all that different from the rest of us. Though, I'd imagine wizard fighting contains more finesse than fighting with guns or weapons of that nature."

"Yes, I would agree. While magic can be dangerous and deadly, it carries with it a beauty that most people fail to see." Lord Voldemort had not planned on talking with this girl for so long, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him which could be a very dangerous. April wondered as to why she felt more and more at ease talking with this man who was obviously very dangerous even to his own people. In the back of her mind she couldn't help but wonder if this is what it was like talking to a father figure. Having conversations by the fire in such a comfortable manner.

"Can magic bring people back from the dead?" Lord Voldemort looked at her with that curious stare that she was becoming accustomed to.

"Although magic can prolong life and take it, bringing people back directly from death is still an area that has not been tampered with. Though, magic can put a stopper to the effects of dying and there are things in the magical world that have properties that can keep a man on the brink of death if only to prevent him dying until further help can be attained the idea of bringing people directly back from the dead is still an unknown as far as I am concerned." April nodded.

"So there are things that even magic cannot do?" Magic was such an interesting concept and April could not help but wonder more and more about it. Voldemort nodded. He looked at the time and felt slightly off put that it had gotten so late so fast.

"I'm afraid my dear that your time is up." April nodded before sighing. "I appreciated the conversation, it was refreshing."

"I must say that I've never had such a social interaction as this one. It was quite an experience."

"I'm sure it has been." Voldemort raised his wand to her eye level.

"May I ask your name? Surely you weren't given the name Lord Voldemort." Voldemort looked at her for a moment before deciding.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Thomas." She smiled, it seemed like a good name for a father figure. "My name is April, but you probably already knew that. It was nice meeting you." She smiled again. Voldemort looked at the strange child a long while before repositioning his hand so that the curse would be aimed at her heart. For some reason he felt that it was the least he could do.

"Avada Kada— " He was interrupted as Snape burst through the door looking disheveled. He looked somewhat surprised to find April still alive but quickly recovered.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion my Lord, but Potter and his team seem to have infiltrated your wards. They are currently fighting in the dining hall." Voldemort cursed in parseltongue before lowering his wand.

"It seems that your life has been prolonged Miss Thornwood." With that he quickly exited the room but not before telling Severus to lock Miss Thornwood back in the dungeons on his way to the dining hall. April stood there unsure of what to do. She had escaped death but a fight was going on. Severus took hold of her arm and quickly pulled her along with him. But instead of going back to the dungeons he pulled out something from his pocket and thrust it into her hand.

"This is called a portkey." She looked at the small ring with confusion, she was sure it wasn't a portkey. "I've modified it so that if you twist the stone and say where you wish to go you will be transported there and away from here. Consider yourself very lucky Miss Thornwood." They were running now but for some reason April didn't want to leave.

"Why are you helping me?" Severus looked at her and wondered as to why the Dark Lord had kept her alive for so long.

"Because Miss Thornwood, I am a spy for the other side and I suggest you take my advice and get yourself out of here before you get caught in the crossfire." They reached what she assumed to be the dining hall because that was where various people were fighting. The man next to her had disappeared and she stood unsure of what her next actions were. In front of her people were dying either from injury or curses. The room seemed to consist of different colors of light which she assumed to be different spells. Thomas had been right, magic did have a certain beauty to it. She was brought out of her thoughts when a purple spell whizzed past her ear. She looked at the ring and came to a quick decision which was mostly selfish on her part. She placed the ring on her right ring finger before running out into the middle of the battlefield, eyes searching for one person in particular.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two.

April was currently perplexed at her actions. She was hiding behind a table, using the wood as a shield against the magic that she had no idea how to fight. She was a Muggle, this powerless when it came to this sort of thing. She peered over the wood and searched the battlefield for Lord Voldemort because she just couldn't let him die. She didn't know why she so desperately wanted to save the man, it could have been out of common courtesy, a life for a life, or it could have been something else entirely she wasn't quite sure. Her eyes stopped as she reached the middle of the room. Voldemort was currently facing a teenage boy, Harry Potter she assumed. The Dark Lord looked haggard but he seemed to be doing alright. It was then that she caught a figure slowly making his way towards the Dark Lord's seemingly unguarded back with a what looked to be a sword. She may not be able to perform magic but she was decent enough with a sword thanks to a drunken asian man who had taken it upon himself to teach her the art of sword fighting a few years ago. From what she could see there was a clear path and she bolted with all her strength. To say the teenager was confused would be an understatement. In his surprised his thrust of the sword pierced the floor, staying put while he was unsure of what to do. His face turned as red as his hair before she knocked him out quickly and pulled his weapon out from the ground, with great effort mind you. As soon as she touched it her hands felt as if they were on fire but she didn't have time to worry about that. She made sure that her hands were not bleeding before pressing her back against the Dark Lord.

"I'm surprised you can hold that sword, it was made so that only those who posses magical abilities may wield it. I believe it was crafted with the help of Merlin." April looked around, they were being surrounded.

"So, you didn't need my help?" She said through gritted teeth.

"Not really, but I appreciate it all the same. One less dunderhead to worry about." The Dark Lord looked around to find that only a few of his followers were left standing but was amused that the girl thought that she could be of some help. Though now, she was somewhat of a hindrance.

"Well, the sword feels like its burning through my hands so I hope you have some sort of plan to get out of this mess because I don't feel like watching you die." The Dark Lord was slightly taken aback by her words.

"It seems that Harry Potter was destined to defeat me. My followers are no more and my only allay is a Muggle who is barely a threat." April could see the confused and curious faces on those that were surrounding them, she must look strange.

"Can they tell I'm a Muggle?" She whispered.

"Well, considering you hold the sword I'd say no. And the only people who know you were a prisoner seem to be dead." April could see that three men who had given her food and the woman from earlier lying in various positions on the floor. It really was a shame for that spy, but on the other hand that meant that no one knew about her portkey thing.

"Voldemort, it seems you picked up a new recruit that we weren't informed about. The two of you seem fairly close. Tell me, does she beg you for punishment or pleasure?" The boy's words were filled with malice and were rather crass . April could feel the chuckling of the Dark Lord behind her. It really wasn't the time to be amused.

"I assure you Potter, she begs just as nicely as your dead mother did."

"Avada Kad—." Before Harry could complete the curse he was hit with a client _Crucio_ by Voldemort. Although in pain Harry smiled. Simultaneously the encroaching circle around them cast the same spell while Voldemort was still torturing Harry. The last thing that April saw was the brilliant flash of orange before she was stunned. When she came around she was in a concrete cell but she was not the only occupant.

"It seems you are awake Miss Thornwood." April turned to find a different Lord Voldemort than she had been accustomed to. He looked middle age, dark chestnut hair that fell slightly in front of his eyes that still managed to hold their reddish hue.

"Lord Voldemort?" He nodded. April took in his appearance once again before deciding that magic really was a complicated matter. She looked at her right hand and was relieved to find that the ring was still there. They could possibly escape. She looked at him once again. "I'm surprised that you are alive, or that I am for that matter."

"As am I. I thought Potter would have killed me while unconscious but that does not seem to be the case."

"So, what are your plans now then?"

"It seems that I have been stripped of all my magical abilities, probably the work of Miss Granger. As of now I cannot escape nor do I have any plans for the future." The Dark Lord's eyes glinted furiously. All his hard work, all his ambition had gone to waste. Now he was a mere Squib thanks to the Potter brat and his friends. April looked thoughtful for a moment before approaching him and placing a ring in his hands.

"The greasy haired man gave this to me after you left. He said it was a portkey, I assume you know how to use it. I don't really know if it can transport more than one person so I figure you can have it and I can stay here." The Dark Lord looked at the ring and then back at April.

"Miss Thornwood you really are an intriguing person. Considering neither of us have left I suppose Severus modified this."

"He said you needed to twist the stone and say where you wanted to go." Voldemort thought.

"I wonder if Potter had this place portkey proof."

"You can always give it a try." Voldemort turned the ring over and over again in his fingers. Potential freedom was in his hands yet he felt an unfamiliar stir when he thought about leaving the girl behind. The portkey could probably transport two people, but that was not a guarantee. If she was left behind he was not exactly sure what her fate would be, but he knew it would not be good even if she was a Muggle. Muggle, he was basically one of them now.

"Miss Thornwood you do realize that I have planned to kill you only hours ago." April nodded.

"I do, but I couldn't leave you there. During our conversation I had wondered what a father would be like, despite our conversation not being a conventional one."

"I don't think you should be considering me Father material Miss Thornwood." She shrugged.

"I wouldn't really know, Sir." Voldemort looked at April and noticed for the first time that this girl seemed more magical that he had originally thought. There was an air about her that he couldn't place. He had never encountered someone quite like her throughout his lifetime. Perhaps this was his chance.

"Where would you like to go Miss Thornwood? I have safety houses in Venice, the countryside of France, and various states in England. We could visit my estate on the legendary island Avalon if you would like." Voldemort was sure that no one besides himself knew of these safety houses.

"Avalon. Isn't that where Morgan le Fay ruled and Excalibur was said to have been forged?"

"The one and only."

"I thought the actually location of Avalon was unknown."

"Well, according to Muggle history. But the place is well know as a very powerful magical nexus in the wizarding world.

"Avalon sounds like the place for us, a used to be wizard and a Muggle who pulled Merlin's sword from the base of your castle like domain." Tom Marvolo Riddle could not agree more.

"You should probably grab a hold of my arm Miss Thornwood." When she was latched on firmly he turned the stone of the ring. "Arbre de Savior , Avalon" as April felt a tug just behind her naval she made out Tree of Knowledge from Voldemort's French. Seconds later she was standing on the ledge of a rather high up balcony that overlooked the sea. An arm was wrapped around her waist which she was thankful for considering she would have fallen over without the support. Walking towards the railing she inhaled the freshness of the air and looked at the reflection of the light of the stars and the moon on the surface of the ocean. She turned to her left to see Voldemort's form lean against the railing of the balcony.

"You named this place Tree of Knowledge?" She questioned.

"It seemed fitting, a snake residing in a place famous for its apples." April smiled before chuckling slightly.

"This place is really beautiful, Thomas." Tom Riddle looked at her through the corner of his eyes before looking out once again towards the sea.

"Yes, though I've never really appreciated the scenery to tell you the truth." They wouldn't be found here. This property was unplottable and he doubted Potter or his friends could track down Severus' portkey. The man was much too clever for that. This was his chance to start over.

"I suppose you'll want to see your room." April looked at him for a moment before a large smile graced her lips.

"My own room? Really?" Her enthusiasm was somewhat endearing despite her age.

"Well, I can't have you sleeping in my bed, that would be rather irresponsible of me as a father figure don't you think?" She laughed and Tom smiled at the sound. This didn't seem too bad at all.

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Author's Note: Sorry that the ending was a bit clichéd and predictable.


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